Boats

South African catamaran specialist Robertson and Caine has been known for building production boats that were distinctively South African, with bridgedeck clearances slightly lower than those seen on French or Canadian cruising cats and hull shapes a bit wider in the stern to provide more buoyancy aft. The thinking was that a lower bridgedeck reduces the boat’s center of

Not so long ago, compact coastal cruisers usually provided cramped quarters and minimal comfort, but the new Hunter 27 is cut from an entirely different mold. It’s only 27 feet long, but its 6 feet, 2 inches of headroom and nearly 10 feet of beam provide enough internal volume for cruising amenities not often found on 27-foot boats. Being able to stand up down below is

The 20-foot Eclipse by Com-Pac Yachts makes a strong case for the idea that you don’t need to spend an arm and a leg to be able to sail to your favorite anchorage, eat a hot meal, and sleep in a comfortable bunk. This trailerable coastal cruiser has all the right features—an easy-to-rig mast, simple sailing systems, a centerboard that reduces draft to 1 foot, 6 inches, and a

The Bavaria 30 is an entry-level cruiser with all the features that any sailor would look for in a coastal cruiser. With each of its two cabins equipped with a double bunk, hanging locker, and small open area, the interior is large enough to accommodate two couples or a small family on a weekend (or even longer) cruise. The straight settees in the saloon are over 6 feet

Measuring in at over 42 feet long and displacing more than 17,000 pounds, the Bruckmann Daysailer is designed to be an easy-to-sail head-turner with graceful lines and long overhangs that’s equally at home on a harbor cruise or a weekend getaway. The final product seems to be up to the task. The light, stiff hull is a composite of Corecell, E-glass, and vinylester resin. The decks are

The mission was to create a true sailor’s boat for a family that had recently spent time cruising in a powerboat and didn’t want to give up what they liked about that—having a room with a view and steering from inside on rainy days. The mission leader was West Marine’s founder, Randy Repass. Repass wasn’t interested in having “just” a boat. Because his heart and his pocketbook belong to the world

New Zealanders Bill Buckley and Charles St. Clair-Brown believe they have created the fastest and most innovative monohull in the world. Just as pedigrees count for a lot in the horse business, the 24-carat lineage of the new 100-foot carbon-fiber canting-keeled sloop is certainly impressive. Designed by Greg Elliott and Clay Oliver, both alumni of the team that created the current holder of

There is a seminal piece of video footage from the 1989–90 Whitbread Round-the-World Race when the two Kiwi archrivals, Peter Blake and Grant Dalton, were going at it hammer and tongs. Shot from a camera aboard Dalton’s Fisher & Paykel, Blake’s “Big Red" Steinlager is close aboard off Dalton’s starboard quarter, surging and then retreating on each wave, sometimes hooking into the crest

It’s late morning on a hot and nearly windless day off Miami Beach, Florida, and the late-February sun is beginning to make the irregular swells look larger than they really are. But the undulating water still retains some of the power from a weather system that has long since moved on. Around us, sailboats are heaving and rolling randomly in the calms, their sails powerless to steady

The 601 is the second of a string of new one-designs from the Finnish builderOf the 950 yachts racing at Skandia Cowes Week last summer, only one was referred to by her crew as "a bit of a weapon." This was fitting flattery, for Sir Peter Ogden’s Spirit of Jethou was exactly that, with her black hull, sleek coachroof, and carbon-fiber sails.Even so,